In a major push to strengthen India’s energy security and accelerate domestic hydrocarbon production, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved ‘Samudra Manthan’ – the National Offshore Exploration Scheme, a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, with a financial outlay of ₹84,084 crore for implementation up to FY 2030-31.
The ambitious initiative is aimed at unlocking India’s vast offshore oil and gas potential through large-scale investments in exploration, advanced technologies and critical offshore infrastructure. The scheme reflects the Prime Minister’s vision, announced during his Independence Day address in 2025, of a modern-day “Samudra Manthan” to harness the country’s offshore energy resources.
Under the scheme, the government will undertake large-scale acquisition, processing and interpretation of high-quality seismic data, accelerate deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploratory drilling, and carry out scientific drilling in frontier offshore basins. It also envisages the development of common offshore production and evacuation infrastructure and the establishment of an integrated Oil & Gas Manufacturing and Services Zone.
In addition, the programme includes provisions for digital programme management, technology adoption, capacity building, stakeholder engagement and international collaboration, creating an integrated ecosystem to accelerate offshore exploration and production.
The government expects the initiative to help discover more than 600 Million Metric Tons of Oil Equivalent (MMTOE) of hydrocarbon reserves, significantly enhance offshore exploration activities and increase domestic crude oil and natural gas production. The scheme is also projected to generate substantial employment opportunities, strengthen indigenous manufacturing under the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, and promote the growth of a globally competitive offshore technology and services ecosystem.
Samudra Manthan is expected to stimulate significant investments across the exploration and production value chain, fostering innovation, industrial growth and long-term economic development while enhancing India’s energy self-reliance.
The scheme builds on a series of upstream sector reforms introduced over the past decade, including opening nearly the entire offshore acreage for exploration, modernising the legislative and contractual framework, and strengthening the National Data Repository. With strategic public investment, cutting-edge technologies and world-class infrastructure, the government aims to usher in a new era of offshore exploration and production in India.
